Xero vs Zoho: Founders, CEOs and History
Xero was founded in 2006 by Rod Drury, Hamish Edwards and is led by Sukhinder Singh Cassidy. Zoho was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas and is led by Shailesh Kumar Davey.
Company facts
Founders
Xero
Rod Drury
Rod Drury is a New Zealand software entrepreneur who co-founded Xero in Wellington in 2006 and served as its chief executive until 2018. Before Xero he built software businesses including AfterMail, which he sold to Quest Software.
Hamish Edwards
Hamish Edwards co-founded Xero in 2006 alongside Rod Drury. Working as an accountant, he was deeply furious at how incredibly terrible, slow, and outdated legacy desktop accounting software was.
Zoho
Sridhar Vembu
Sridhar Vembu co-founded AdventNet in 1996 and led the company, renamed Zoho Corporation in 2009, as CEO until January 2025. He kept the company free of venture capital and promoted hiring and training in smaller towns, working from rural Tamil Nadu.
Tony Thomas
Tony Thomas co-founded AdventNet in 1996 and has remained with the company since. He leads Zoho's US business as CEO of Zoho US. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
CEOs and their tenures
Xero
- Rod Drury2006–2018
Co-Founder & Former Chief Executive Officer (2006-2018)
As Co-Founder and legendary CEO, he was the absolute visionary who completely revolutionized the deeply boring accounting software industry by making the software beautiful, cloud-native, and highly integrated with banking APIs.
Source - Sukhinder Singh Cassidy2023–present
Chief Executive Officer
Under her leadership revenue grew from ~$812 million (NZ$1.40 billion) in FY23 to ~$1.59 billion (NZ$2.75 billion) in FY26, and Xero moved from a net loss to a net profit.
Source
Zoho
- Sridhar Vembu1996–2025
Co-founder; CEO 1996-2025, now Chief Scientist
Led the company from its founding as AdventNet until January 2025 and kept it free of outside capital; now focuses on research and AI.
Source - Tony Thomas1996–present
Co-founder and CEO, Zoho US
Co-founded AdventNet and leads Zoho's US business.
Source - Shailesh Kumar Davey2025–present
Co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer
Co-founder who previously led engineering at ManageEngine; became group CEO in January 2025.
Source - Rajesh Ganesan2025–present
CEO, ManageEngine
Leads the ManageEngine IT management division.
Source - Mani Vembu2025–present
CEO, Zoho.com
Leads the Zoho.com business applications division.
Source
Timeline: Xero and Zoho side by side
1996Zoho
AdventNet founded
Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas start a network management software company.
2005Zoho
First Zoho Products Released
AdventNet released Zoho Writer, its first online office application, in 2005, followed by Zoho CRM.
2006Xero
Rod Drury and Hamish Edwards found Xero in Wellington, New Zealand.
2007Xero
Xero lists on the NZX.
2009Zoho
Renamed Zoho Corporation
The company takes the name of its online applications brand.
2010Xero
Peter Thiel Invests
Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures invested in Xero in 2010.
2012Xero
Xero lists on the ASX.
2017Zoho
Zoho One Launched
Zoho launched Zoho One, a single subscription covering its business applications, in July 2017.
2018Xero
Steve Vamos succeeds Rod Drury as CEO; Xero buys Hubdoc and delists from the NZX.
2020Xero
Waddle Acquired
Xero bought the invoice-lending platform Waddle in 2020.
2021Xero
Acquired Planday A/S
Xero acquired Planday A/S for $184 million.
2023Xero
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy becomes CEO.
2025Xero
Claire Bramley becomes CFO on 1 April; Xero completes the Melio acquisition on 15 October.
2025Zoho
CEO transition
Shailesh Kumar Davey becomes group CEO in January; Sridhar Vembu becomes chief scientist.
2025Zoho
Semiconductor fab plan shelved
Zoho suspends its planned $700 million compound semiconductor fab in May.
2025Zoho
Rajesh Ganesan becomes CEO
Rajesh Ganesan became CEO of Zoho in 2025. Leads the ManageEngine IT management division.
2026Xero
Matan Bar named CEO of Xero US; FY26 revenue reaches ~$1.59 billion (NZ$2.75 billion).
2026Zoho
UAE data centres open
Zoho opens data centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in January as part of an ~$27.2 million (AED 100 million) UAE investment.
2026Zoho
FY25 results filed
RoC filings show FY25 revenue of ~$1.43 billion (₹12,313 crore) and net profit of ~$370 million (₹3,191 crore).
Acquisitions
Zoho
- ASIMOV Robotics2025Undisclosed
- Yali Aerospace (strategic deep-tech investment)2024$3.6M
- ePoise Systems2019Undisclosed
Questions about Xero vs Zoho
Who is the CEO of Xero and Zoho?
Xero is led by Sukhinder Singh Cassidy and Zoho is led by Shailesh Kumar Davey. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Xero founded vs Zoho?
Zoho was founded in 1996 — 10 years before Xero, which was founded in 2006. Zoho's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Xero.
How many employees does Xero have compared to Zoho?
Xero employs approximately 4,400 people, while Zoho employs approximately 19,000. Zoho has the larger workforce at 19,000 employees, compared to Xero's 4,400. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Xero and Zoho headquartered?
Xero is headquartered in New Zealand and Zoho is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Xero and Zoho?
Xero was founded by Rod Drury, Hamish Edwards. Zoho was founded by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas.
Which company has a longer operating history — Xero or Zoho?
Zoho has been operating for approximately 30 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Xero has been in operation for around 20 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Xero vs Zoho overview